Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Shares Acquired by Handelsbanken Fonder AB

Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its position in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 0.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 169,889 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,585 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB owned 0.05% of Ross Stores worth $25,570,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bright Rock Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Ross Stores during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,204,000. Czech National Bank raised its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 6.3% during the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 67,952 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $10,227,000 after purchasing an additional 4,056 shares in the last quarter. JLB & Associates Inc. increased its stake in Ross Stores by 10.1% during the 3rd quarter. JLB & Associates Inc. now owns 137,802 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $20,741,000 after buying an additional 12,661 shares during the period. First Financial Bank Trust Division raised its position in shares of Ross Stores by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. First Financial Bank Trust Division now owns 45,772 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $6,889,000 after buying an additional 1,200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund raised its holdings in Ross Stores by 81.0% during the second quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 116,675 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $16,955,000 after purchasing an additional 52,208 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Stock Down 0.8 %

NASDAQ ROST traded down $1.20 on Friday, reaching $145.58. The stock had a trading volume of 1,788,319 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,064,546. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 1 year low of $110.02 and a 1 year high of $163.60. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $148.29 and a 200 day moving average price of $143.36. The company has a market capitalization of $48.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.09.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 22nd. The apparel retailer reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $5.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.25 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 42.43% and a net margin of 9.82%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.32 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 10th were issued a $0.3675 dividend. This represents a $1.47 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 10th. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is presently 24.79%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ROST has been the topic of a number of research reports. Gordon Haskett raised Ross Stores to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. StockNews.com raised shares of Ross Stores from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, September 14th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $162.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $163.00 to $178.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $173.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $169.71.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ross Stores news, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 8,366 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.64, for a total value of $1,302,084.24. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 103,049 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,038,546.36. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 8,366 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.64, for a total value of $1,302,084.24. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 103,049 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,038,546.36. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Michael Balmuth sold 14,887 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.22, for a total transaction of $2,266,099.14. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 11,133 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,694,665.26. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 72,138 shares of company stock valued at $11,093,051 over the last three months. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Ross Stores Profile

Ross Stores, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates off-price retail apparel and home fashion stores under the Ross Dress for Less and dd’s DISCOUNTS brand names in the United States. Its stores primarily offer apparel, accessories, footwear, and home fashions. The company’s Ross Dress for Less stores sell its products at department and specialty stores to middle income households; and dd’s DISCOUNTS stores sell its products at department and discount stores for households with moderate income.